Merciless Rewrite
by JossyRose
Summary: I wanted to rewrite this, but didn't have the heart to delete the old one (strangely) so this is the new version of Merciless. The old one will no longer be updated, but will stay up for comparative purposes, I suppose.
1. Chapter 1

The sky was dim. Darkness was already beginning to engulf the world, even before suppertime: the tell-tale signs of winter. It was a depressing season, dreary and lifeless. Plants sacrificed their livelihood and stood dark and still against the icy ground. The days shortened, the nights became agonizingly long, and darkness consumed. Darker and darker yet. It was harder to forget her troubles in the winter. Her sneakers squished into the soft earth, smoothing down the dew laced grass. The top of the mountain was already whitening with snow, but despite the cold, and the calendar declaring December started in just three days, the small town surrounding Mt. Ebbot had yet to see a drop of precipitation.

It was one thing she could be grateful for, at least. Her eyes lifted to the mountain. Supposedly, anyone who ventured up there, never returned; this legend had been around forever as far as the townsfolk were concerned. Nobody living remembered a time when their parents or friends had not warned them about this tale, and so, no one had dared even wander near the base of the mountain for many years.

That was alright though. She was okay with never returning. The girl wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, but no tears had formed. They should have. She had lost the ability to cry years ago; she was convinced she had no tears left. All that remained inside of her was a hollow emptiness, numbness, an intangible pain so intense that she felt nothing, and that was much worse than any sorrow she could ever experience.

There seemed to be a path of sorts going up the mountain. It wasn't a difficult climb, save for a few fallen trees from last week's storm that she climbed over. She stayed on this trail until something caught her eye. Her steps were soft as she approached the large hole in the ground, not wanting to get too close and possibly plummet to her death. She was done with her life in the town, and had indeed thought of suicide several times in her life, but she had quickly realized her will was too strong to let her die. She was too determined to live.

It happened too suddenly for her to process. Her boot caught on something, perhaps a root, or maybe she simply tripped over her own feet, but she soon found her face in the floor, and slipping toward the abyss. Panicked, the teenager clawed at the ground but half of her body was already in the hole, and the laws of gravity were not to be defied.

She disappeared into the crater with a sharp and long screech, as darkness embraced her.


	2. Chapter 2

_The children did not sit in a circle, but they tried. It wasn't even an oval really, just a blobby shape formed of scattered kids that could not coordinate well. Brinny was the one who spoke first, brushing reddish brown hair away from her glasses._

" _My Ma says monsters live up there," she declared proudly, as if this were a little known fact that only her mother was smart enough to figure out._

 _Nena nodded enthusiastically, taking a large bite out of the cookie she had brought._

 _Frisk approached the circle. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked quietly._

 _Arane looked up and patted the space next to him on the ground, "Mt. Ebbot," he said simply._

" _Why?"_

" _Because," Runa said, "Mairo is new here and doesn't know why he shouldn't go up there."_

" _Why shouldn't you?" Frisk asked._

 _Arane looked at her in surprise, "You don't know?!"_

 _Frisk shook her head, but looked down and blushed, feeling stupid._

 _Another boy, Krin, started speaking now, "Because nobody who goes around there comes back."_

" _But I thought no one goes there," said Frisk._

" _Yeah, and that's why," Nena agreed, "'cuz no one comes back so why would someone go there?"_

" _Yeah, I know, but…" Frisk looked down, "How do we know no one comes back, if no one goes there in the first place."_

" _We just do," Brinny rolled her eyes._

 _Runa glanced at her, seemingly caught between rebuking her, and just leaving it alone. She decided on the latter, but did address Frisk. "People probably went there before. But it was a long time ago. My brother says that the monsters used to live here with us. But they were really mean and so some wizards trapped them at the mountain."_

" _And if you go there," Brinny took back the spotlight, "They eat you."_

 _Mairo rolled his eyes, "You guys seriously believe that stuff? Magic and monsters and stuff don't exist. You guys need to grow up."_

Still.

That's how she lay, motionless in a bed of golden flowers, eyes closed, breath gentle and even. Aside from the blood trickling from several wounds, and the dirt caking her skin, she would appear to be peacefully resting to any passersby, not that this area ever received any.

She didn't think she was dead, granted, it was a stretch to say she was thinking at all. Her mind remained blank, the coolness of the concrete comforting her. It was not until she felt a soft hand brush against her face that consciousness filled her. She sat up on instinct with a sharp inhale, but regretted it instantly. Pain seared through her body, reawakening old aches that must have dulled sometime during her blackout.

It was an unpleasant reminder that she was still living, but a reminder nonetheless. Her eyes scanned the darkness, but she found no indication of anybody having been there.

"Hello?" she tested her voice, then doubled over coughing. Her throat was dry and scratchy.

The thought of laying back down and resting longer crossed her mind, but she didn't know where she was and that made her feel unsafe. With a groan, she forced herself to stand. The girl made another pained noise and almost fell backward, but she steadied herself and swallowed the nausea building in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure if her eyes had yet to adjust, or if it was so dark that she would never feasibly be able to see her surroundings, but when she glanced around, it was still just blackness that met her vision. This frightened her more than anything. She was so vulnerable, and moving could draw some unwanted attention, but she knew staying in one spot probably wasn't any better.

The girl took a cautious step forward, and, when nothing immediately killed her, began slowly walking, trailing the fingers of her left hand against the rocky wall. Then, the wall stopped, and she nearly tumbled. She swallowed and turned left, groping at the air and shifting sideways until she found the wall's continuation.

A stream of light caught her eye, a single shaft of sun intruding into the shadow. Contained within the halo was a patch of grass, perfectly trimmed into the shape of a circle, and growing from it, a single yellow flower, like the ones she had landed on. She approached.

"Howdy!"

The girl gave a short squawk at the new voice and fell back on her rear, head whipping around to find someone there. She wanted to say something, but found herself unable, until she gave another sharp cry as the flower near her feet started to move. It pointed its stigma upward as if looking at her. This revealed two small, beady eyes and a wide, friendly smile.

"I'm Flowey! Flowey, the Flower."

"Eh…" she took another step back, eyes widening further, mouth gaping open.

She had to be losing her mind, or hallucinating…she probably had head trauma, maybe internal bleeding of the brain and she was going to die alone down in this hole surrounding by unfeeling visions of talking flowers until she took her last breath. The girl nearly cried at the thought, yet, peering at the genuine expression of the bright petaled plant, she almost didn't mind. It would be a blessing to be within a world of happiness and cheer, something she seldom knew of, in her final moments.

The girl forced herself to smile, forced herself to let go of intruding thoughts of what was reality and what was fiction. She stepped closer to the small flower.

"I'm…Frisk."

"Hmm…you're new to the underground, aren'tcha?"

Frisk nodded, licking her chapped lips and grimacing at the dirt that clung to her tongue.

"Golly, you must be so confused! Someone ought to teach ya how things work around here," the flower looked left and right in a dramatized fashion, as if looking for someone to do just that, then looked back up to the human with another large smile, "I guess little ol' me will have to do. Are you ready?"

"Ready fo-"

"Here we go!"

Frisk gasped at the odd sensation that filled her. A ghostly red heart pulled away from her chest, floating in the air in front of her. She squeaked as she felt her sneakers also leave the ground, and she attempted to reorient herself.

"See that heart?" the flower asked, giving no room for reply, "That is your soul, the very culmination of your being."

"My soul?" she tried to reach out for the heart, but only succeeded in nauseating herself.

"Your soul starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV."

"Wha-"

"What's LV stand for?"

She nodded.

"Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you?"

Frisk wasn't so sure she did, but she was, once again, not given an opportunity to reply.

"Don't worry. I'll share some with you. Down here, LOVE is shared through little white 'friendliness pellets'."

Small white dots filled the air, circling her soul which had settled very close to her chest now, just two or three inches in front of her.

"Are you ready? Move around, get as many as you can!"

The pellets moved toward her rapidly and without a second thought, Frisk dashed to the side, still in midair. A wave of dizziness drowned her, and she was sure she would vomit. When she glanced at the flower, Flowey was scowling.

"Hey buddy, you missed them," but its smile returned soon after, "Let's try again, okay?"

She closed her eyes. If she didn't see them coming at her, it wouldn't frighten her. Frisk resisted the strong urge to move. She spent most of her life never trusting anyone, she could trust her imagination at least-

The girl inhaled sharply, eyes opening wide as pain pulsed through her and she saw the heart in front of her take another sharp attack from the white bullets. Frisk landed on the ground, crying out in pain.

"You idiot!" Flowey laughed, sneering at her, "In this world, it's kill or be killed! Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this?"

She tried her best to scoot backward, as the flower shouted in joy, "Die!"

Frisk yelped. The pellets were closing in. She stumbled back and covered her head with her arms, like a frightened child. Flowey yelped, and she looked up suddenly. The plant had been cast aside, and standing tall before the girl was a goat-like creature, extending a hand toward her.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…do not be afraid, my child."

Cautiously, Frisk took the monster's hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. The heart which had been in front of her, was now seeping into her clothing.

"I'm Toriel," the strange woman greeted, "Caretaker of the Ruins."

"I'm Frisk."

"Frisk. What a lovely name. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time."

"There have been…others?"

Toriel's mouth appeared to draw inward slightly, as if she were chewing her lip. "Yes, but that was a long time ago."

"What happened to them?"

The goat-woman paused and glanced to the side, whispering, "It is unimportant. It happened so long ago." She looked back at Frisk and smiled forcibly, "Come. I will guide you through the catacombs."

Toriel turned and motioned for Frisk to follow. "This way." She walked forward and disappeared through a decrepit archway.

Frisk wasn't sure if it was wiser to stay put, or follow the woman, but with a deep breath and steely gaze, the girl found herself moving forward, wondering if she was making the right choice, or the worst mistake of her life.


End file.
